Himachal minister slams Punjab for opposing special package

Himachal Pradesh Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today criticised Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for his "opposition" to the special package given to the hill state.
The Centre extended the special package for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till March 2017 to help accelerate industrial growth.
Agnihotri said that their outcry over the package was uncalled for as it would not affect investment in neighbouring states.
In a statement issued here today, the minister said that Himachal Pradesh government had been striving hard for extension of the industrial package to the state introduced in 2003 for 10 years till March, 2013.

But, later the incentive of central excise duty was withdrawn in March, 2010 and income tax incentive in March, 2012.
"It was due to sincere efforts of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh that industrial package had been extended till 2017 who took up the matter vigorously with the Prime Minister, Union Commerce and Industry Minister from time to time," he said.

But, this apprehension of bigger states was not correct as their was no flight of industry from Punjab and other neighbouring states to Himachal Pradesh.
Agnihotri said that during the industrial package period, the state got registered about 16,500 units in small, medium and large-scale sectors, with proposed investment of Rs 48,830 crore having employment potential of 542,580 people.

The minister said that Punjab government was unnecessarily making hue and cry over this issue just to derive political mileage and said even former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal should also have welcomed this decision "instead he was maintaining a silence over it".